Moistening device for duplicating machines



April 1950 F. R. FORD 2,505,035

MOISTENING DEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed Oct. 24, 1945 INVENTO? Patented Apr. 25, 1950 EAT ENT OFFICE MOIS'IENINGDEVICE FOR DUPLICATING MACHINE S Ei-ank.RonaldFbrdgsparkbrook Birmingham; l England Application :ctoben 24, 1945, ScrialNo; 624,262 1 In GreabBritain-AugustZE, 1945- ZClaiins. (Cl. 101-1325).

This invention relate to duplicating machines of the class in which a copy sheet andamaster sheet bearing in reversed scriptthe matter. to, be reproduced are passed in -pressurecontactbetween a cylinder which carries the master. sheet and a pressure roller, the copy sheet beingmoistened by a suitable device before being brought into contact with the. master sheet.

The invention has particular reference to machines of the type described in-the specification ofv my prior applicationSerial No. 540,486,,filed June 15, 1944; which has maturedinto Patent No. 2,491,368, December 13; 1949; In'vsuchma-v chines, the moistening idevicencomprises an absorbent pad across which the. copy sheets are drawn and which is adapted tobe fediwith liquid from a tankby means of a feedwick' supported onan operating-member, this latterbeing springs biassed in a direction towardsithe padiand. capable of being displaced inthe reverse direction (so as to interruptthe feed of liquidto theupady by angular movementof a. rock-shaft.

Machines of-the class to which the present in, vention relates are usuallyprovided with means whereby, after 'eachcopy has been made, the

rotation of the cylinderis checkedbyan-. auto-- matic device and a damping bar employed: tov press the copy sheetsragainst themoistening: pad. is moved away from the-latter atlthis stage toenable a fresh copysheetto'be fed, between the damping bar and the padrto the nip between:- the cylinder and thepressureroller.

In my prior specification. aforesaid, Ihave. described mechanism whereby, at the end of each.

operative'cycle of the machine (i. e. on separawhereby a person usingjthe machine isrenabled to catch theliquidlfeed,independently of the automatic operation, whenever such action may seem to be desirable;

, The objectof thepresent inventionis to-provide improved control means forlthe. liquidifeede which will. also enable the feed with or wicks to be left permanently in contact'with-the moistening-pad, when desired,. r.egardless of whether the cylinder is rotating or not;

According-to this invention, the" controi' means' i comprises a member adapted in one'position to permit automatic oscillation of the rock-shaft to alternately interrupt and re-establish the liquid feed during operation of the machine, such control member, in an alternative position, retaining 2 therock-shaft in; the.feed interrupted condl tion*and,,when moved to a second alternative position, disabling the rock-shaft actuatingmeche anism so that liquiduis fed, continuously to the moistening pad.

In the'drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing partof aduplicating machine-havingjthe improved liquid feed, controimeans; and

Figure 2 is'a sectional view in: side-elevation showing theliquid feed means.

Fiirurefl isidrawn toa larger. scale than Fig ure As' illustrated, the machine comprises spaced side members I secured together by suitable tierods and-having mounted between them afltrans versely disposed impression cylinder 2 and amoistening' device 3 similar to that described in the specification of myrprior application Serial No.- 5409;86-

In such a device'thesupply of liquidfrom the liquid in the'reservoir 3- to a wick 23 supporting the m'oistening pad 26 over which the-copy sheets-- 19 pass is effected by means'of atleast one feedwi'ck 20 the upper end of which is attached'toabar' 2'! slidable on a support 21, which bar isspring-biassed-by a plate spring 24 in the direction-of the wick 23, the bar 2! being slidable-in the reverse direction bysuitable angular movement of a rock-shaft 4 having crank arms 22 which engage the bar 2|. In the arrangementsliown; separation of the feed wick or wicks Z'lifromthewick 23 is effected by anti-clockwise movement'ofthe rock-shaft 4.

Eixedly or otherwise attached to one end of" the'shaft iis an arm f square Or other noncircular section on which is slidably' mounted anabutment 6. This latter may have a tubular portion which is guided" on the arm 5 and which is normally held'against a st0p8 by means of. a

tension or other spring" 9.

Ihithis normal position. of the abutment it, the

latter; is; disposed'irnmediately above the axis of? thecyllnder 2., atthe end'of which is mounted a disc 10' carrying a crank-pin. it. Obviously the crank-pinmay be repl'acediby acam designed to give aisimilar. 1ift, if..d'esiredI As the cylinder 2' rntatesin thedirectioniof therarrow, this cranl:- pin. it periodically engages. an inciinediiace. 21 on the abutment t and eiiects, one in each rev olution of the cylinder, an anti-clockwise movement of the arm 5 and shaft 4 sufficient to effect interruption of the liquid feed. Return movement of the arm 5 is, of course, effected by the biassing spring associated with the bar carrying the feed wick or wicks.

Pivotally mounted at [3 below the arm 5 and movable in the same or a parallel plane is a twoarmed rocking lever I4 which is manually operable by means of a handle I5 on one arm thereof.

This lever I4 may be moved to any of three angular positions indicated by markings on the side member I or some other convenient part of the machine.

These markings, which may be on a curved scale !5 adjacent the handle I5, conveniently comprise the words Auto (01' Automatic), g, and no When it is desired to provide for automatic interruption or" the liquid feed at the end of each operation cycle of the machine, the handle E is moved to the appropriate mark on the scale it, and in this position the handle-carrying arm of the lever M is disposed substantially horizontally. The second arm i! of the lever (which may be substantially shorter than that carrying the handle) lies, under these conditions, in the position indicated in dotted lines to the right of the pivot !3 so that it does not affect movement of the arm 5.

If it should be thought desirable to maintain the feed wick or wicks separated from the moistening pad, the handle I5 is moved to the on position indicated in full lines in the drawing, whereupon the arm H of the lever it engages the underside of the sleeve 1' and rocks the shaft 4 into, or retains it in, a position corresponding to that into which it is lifted by the crank-pin H during the automatic operation above described.

Should the moistening pad have become unduly dry (for example, when the machine is to be restarted after standing idle for a lengthy period), the lever I4 is given a further movement in the same direction until the handle :5 is opposite the On marking on the scale it.

- The short arm ll of the lever is thus moved in the position indicated in dotted lines to the left of the pivot l3, and during such movement the arm engages a downwardly projecting lug E8 on the sleeve 7 so that the latter, together with the abutment B, is slidden along the arm 5 against the action of the spring 8.

In the On position of the lever i-i, the abutment 8 is held clear of the orbit of the crank-pin H, so that the arm 5 and shaft 4 are permitted to turn clockwise until the feed wick or wicks make contact with the pad and remain in this position regardless of whether the cylinder 2 is rotated or not.

What I claim then is:

1. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a rigid frame, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted in said frame, a copy sheet moistening device containing liquid, a rock-shaft associated with said moistening device, the rate of liquid feed to the copy sheets being controlled by the angular position of said rock-shaft, an actuating arm carried by said rock-shaft, a cam or the equivalent rotating with said cylinder, said actuating arm extending across the end of the cylinder above said cam or equivalent, an abutment having a tubular part slidable on said arm and having an inclined face adapted to be engaged by said cam or equivalent, a stop on said arm defining the normal position of said abutment, spring means biassing said abutment towards said stop, a lug on said tubular part and projecting downwardly therefrom, a two armed rocking lever pivoted to the frame on an axis parallel to that of the cylinder, said rocking lever forming a control lever, one arm of the rocking lever being adapted to be moved into any one of three positions, in one of which it is ap proximately at right angles to said arm and supports it in a raised position with the inclined face clear of the path of movement of the cam or its equivalent, in another of which it supports the arm in a lower position with the in-- clined face in the path of movement of the cam or its equivalent, and in the third of which it engages the said lug and slides the abutment along said arm and brings the inclined face out off the path of movement of the cam or its equivalent while supporting the arm in a lowered position, and means for moving said control lever into each of the said three positions.

2. In a duplicating machine, the combination of a rigid frame, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted in said frame, a copy sheet moistening device containing liquid, a rock-shaft associated with said moistening device, the rate of liquid feed to the copy sheets being controlled by the angular position of said rock-shaft, an actuating arm carried by said rock-shaft, a cam or the equivalent rotating with said cylinder, said actuating arm extending across the end of the cylinder above said cam or equivalent, an abutment having a tubular part slidable on said arm and having an inclined face adapted to be an gaged by said cam or equivalent, a lug on said tubular part and projecting downwardly therefrom, a two armed rocking lever pivoted to the frame on an axis parallel to that of the cyl inder, said rocking lever forming a control lever, one arm of the rocking lever being adapted to be moved into any one of three positions, in

' one of which it is approximately at right angles to said arm and supports it in a raised position with the inclined face clear of the path of movement of the cam or its equivalent, in another of which it supports the arm in a lower position with the inclined face in the path of movement of the cam or its equivalent, and in the third of which it engages the said lug and slides the abutment along said arm and brings the inclined face out of the path of movement of the cam or its equivalent while supporting the arm in a lowered position, and a handle operatively connected to said control lever for moving the same into and out of its alternative locations, and markings provided externally of said frame to indicate the various handle positions.

FRANK RONALD FORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,012,619 Ritzerfeld Aug. 27, 1935 2,171,061 Ford Aug. 29, 19 39 

